Darkest Before Dawn
by OneFourOne
Summary: 22-year-old Ethan is a loner, a failed trainer, and aimless in life. As he struggles to find his place in a world that revolves around Pokémon, an unlikely series of events takes him down a road no one would have ever expected: becoming part of an elite group dedicated to protecting humanity from the most dangerous, destructive Pokémon. Starring older AU versions of all the PCs.
1. Chapter 1

_**DARKEST BEFORE DAWN / Prologue**_

* * *

An alarm rang.

The loud buzzing sound filled the darkened room, a room that could only be described as belonging to a fanatic. Posters draped the walls. Figures lined shelves and sat upon cupboards. Multitudes of stickers covered every surface. Dirty laundry littered the floor. The clothing all had one thing in common, a similarity they shared with every item in this room: they were all pokémon themed.

The alarm continued to ring. The alarm, like everything else in the room, was another product of pokémon obsession. A plastic blue baby crocodile sat on a nightstand holding a large clock between its stubby arms and legs. In the bed beside this nightstand, under a Poké Ball-print blanket, lay a figure. A figure who, on any other weekend morning, would hit the plastic Totodile on the nose, so he could get nine more minutes of sleep. But today was no ordinary day. Today was different.

Today was his birthday.

The boy threw the blanket off of himself, put on his Pikachu slippers, and jolted out of bed. Though he had just woke, he felt no tiredness, no grogginess. He felt only excitement.

After turning off the alarm, the boy ran to the window and opened the curtains. Bright morning light filled his room, illuminating the flecks of dust that floated freely all around him. After his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, the boy looked at the world outside. Today, clear blue skies graced the town of New Bark. They called it a town, but it was more of a village, really. With a population of only a few hundred, New Bark was one of those towns were everyone knew everyone. There were no roads, so those with cars had to drive on dirt paths. The wind turbines that powered each home were the only sure sign of the times. Like the rest of the Johto region, what New Bark lacked in innovation, it made up for in tradition.

After a quick stretch, the boy turned to his desk and the calendar that was pinned to the wall above it. Below this month's picture of a red six-tailed fox was a grid of red X's, all of which led to today's date: The 21st of May, 2004.

He gave it a moment to sink in. _I'm eleven now, _he thought, _I'm finally eleven. _Yet, the day he was most anticipating was not today. It was the same day five years from now. The day that he would turn sixteen. The day that he would be eligible to apply for a Pokémon Ownership License, and afterwards, his real goal: the Pokémon Trainer License. It was this day that he lived for. Every waking second he dreamed of the day he'd turn sixteen and finally become a licensed trainer.

He looked to the poster next to the calendar, as he often did, and revelled in its glory. It was his most treasured possession: a signed poster of Lance, the three-time Pokémon World Champion. In the world of pokémon, Lance was the most revered, most-talked about figure. To date, the greatest day of the boy's life was when Lance made a public appearance in the city of Goldenrod. After weeks of nagging and begging, the boy finally convinced his mother to make the few hours' drive to Goldenrod, just so he could get to the chance to meet him. And meet him he did.

To say that Lance was his idol was an understatement. He was the very essence of what the boy one day hoped to be. Lance wasn't just any pokémon trainer. He redefined what it meant to be a pokémon trainer. With his spiky, red hair and long, black cape, he brought style to a sport that had none. His presence was one of mystery and power. He commanded pokémon that most people never thought they'd ever get to see in their lifetimes.

To the boy, today wasn't significant because it was his birthday, today was significant because it marked one less year he had to wait before he could begin his own journey to become someone like Lance: someone who had enough fans to form an army, someone who people flew in from around the world to see and, most of all, someone who could make people cheer and jump out of their seats.

But five years was still a long time, and it felt no closer now than it did on his tenth birthday.

The boy, however, would not spend the day dwelling on that. A birthday was a birthday, and that meant a party, cake and presents. He changed out of his pyjamas quickly, put on his favorite black and yellow baseball cap, and left his room. As he ran down the stairs he heard the sounds of breakfast being prepared from the kitchen.

"Good morning!" he exclaimed as he dashed into the kitchen, where his parents both greeted him with smile.

"Ah, there he is!" his father said, rising from his chair. He took his son's hand and shook it strongly. "The man of the day."

"Happy birthday, Ethan!" said his mother, hugging him tightly.

"Another year older, another year wiser, I hope," his father said as he pulled a chair out from the table. With a sudden motion he then pulled the boy's hat off and placed it on top of the table. "And I think a good start would be not wearing your cap inside anymore."

"Maybe next year," the boy, Ethan, said with a grin as he straightened his short, messy black hair. He fixed his cap back on, backwards, and sat down at the table.

As he ate breakfast with his parents, Ethan thought of how lucky he was that, this year, his birthday was on a weekend. He would have the whole day to himself and his birthday party. Best of all, he wouldn't have to sit through the embarrassment of his teacher and classmates singing him "Happy Birthday".

The party was to begin at noon, and Ethan used the few hours he had before then to clean his room, and help his mother prepare the food and party favors. His excitement threatened to boil over, as his head was filled with thoughts of seeing all of his friends, and, of course, the presents he might get.

* * *

Finally noon arrived.

Ethan stood in his room, staring out the window, waiting for the first of his guests to arrive. Sure enough, it was Sam, his best friend, and Sam's mother who were the first to come into view walking up to Ethan's house. Ethan waved wildly. Sam spotted him and waved back with a grin. Ethan bolted down the stairs and met Sam at the front door.

With his usual enthusiasm, Sam ripped off his shoes, nearly tripping as he ran up to Ethan. "Hey, man!" he said. "Oh, man. Did you watch the qualifiers last night? Did you see that part where-"

"Yeah, of course!" Ethan replied. "You're talking about that guy's Machoke right? When he took out like, four guys in two minutes, right?"

"One minute, forty-nine seconds," Sam corrected him. "They said it was a tournament record! That dude is gonna make it to the tournament for su-"

"_Ahem," _Sam's mother interrupted, holding up a small, wrapped box.

"Oh, here's your present," Sam said, taking the small gift box and giving it to Ethan. "And happy birthday."

"Thanks!"

Sam was a short, scrawny kid, and was the only one who rivaled Ethan's own fanaticism when it came to pokémon. The two met in the third grade, and hung out nearly every day since.

After Sam's mother left, the two ran up to Ethan's room, talking excitedly of last's night qualifiers. The Pokémon World Tournament, the largest and most prestigious of all tournaments, was held annually every summer, with the qualifiers beginning in May. Every summer break for the two boys was spent sitting glued to the TV, never missing a single battle. Sam, like Ethan, was a huge fan of Lance, and they both had high hopes for his fourth championship victory in a row.

For the hundredth time, Sam made a remark about how jealous he was of Ethan's signed poster, and every time he did, Ethan's chest swelled with satisfaction.

They talked about Lance, wondering if he was going to change his lineup this year, when suddenly Sam, who was standing by the bedroom window, called to Ethan.

"Oh, Ethan. You better come take a look at thiiis!"

Out of curiosity, Ethan moved to the window. When he saw what his friend was referring to, his heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah, so?" Ethan grumbled.

"So?" Sam replied. "Aren't you happy your girlfriend is coming to your party?"

"She's not my girlfriend, idiot…"

The doorbell rang. Ethan gathered himself and the two headed downstairs. When they got there, the girl, Lyra, and her mom were inside already.

"Hey Ethan, hi Sam!" Lyra said when the two boys appeared. "Happy Birthday, Ethan!"

"Hey. Th-thanks," Ethan replied. Sam snickered.

Lyra was wearing her favorite outfit, a red blouse underneath blue legless overalls. Matching her red shoes and white knee-high socks was her large, white puffy hat, complete with a red bowtie. As usual, she wore her hair in low-tied pigtails. Sitting in the nook of her arms in front of her was Fez, her Marill. Fez was a blue mouse-like pokémon, as big and round as Lyra's hat. She carried him with her everywhere she went except for school, where pokémon weren't allowed.

Next to Sam, Lyra was Ethan's other best friend: he knew her even longer than he knew Sam. Their families had been friends with each other as long as he could remember. And maybe he _did_ 'like' likeher, not that he would ever tell her.

Lyra placed her Marill on the floor and took the large wrapped item that her mother was holding.

"Here's your present. I hope you like it," she said, giving it to Ethan.

"Wow, thanks," Ethan said. "It's so big! And heavy."

He could tell from the shape of it that it was a book. He also knew that Lyra's mother owned the bookstore in the nearby city of Cherrygrove, so it was no surprise that Lyra gave him a new book for every birthday and Christmas. This book, however, was much bigger than the others he received from her.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Lyra giggled.

"Presents after cake," Ethan's mother said as she came into the room. "Mary, Lyra, thanks so much for coming."

As the two mothers spoke, the three kids retreated to Ethan's room.

* * *

Shortly after Lyra's arrival, Ethan's other classmates began arriving and, soon enough, everyone invited was in attendance: seven in total.

Ethan's party was better than he had hoped. Though Sam and Lyra were frequent guests to Ethan's home, his other friends, many of whom lived outside of New Bark, weren't. Ethan got a real kick out of showing off his various pokémon collections. His classmates stared in awe as he presented to them his toys, cards, books, and of course, his signed poster.

Afterwards they all sat in front of the TV, screaming and hollering as they played 'Mario Kart' on Ethan's Nintendo and eating pizza that Ethan's parents had ordered from Cherrygrove. They played card games and told stupid jokes. They played truth or dare and made each other do embarrassing things. "I'll only kiss Fezzy," stated Lyra, the only girl, before agreeing to play.

After a few hours of raucous fun, Ethan's mother poked her head into the room and informed the children that the cake was ready. Ethan was slightly disappointed; parties usually ended after the cake. But at least he would finally open his presents.

Everyone gathered in the kitchen. After sitting through the inhumane torture of "Happy Birthday", Ethan blew out the candles on what looked like a delicious vanilla ice cream cake.

_Let me be sixteen when I wake up tomorrow, _he wished.

After the cake was cut and handed out, Ethan's mother announced that it was time for Ethan to open his presents.

Ethan, much to his dismay, was the center of attention once again.

"Aw, mom, not the camera," he groaned as his mother began taking pictures of him with the presents on the table.

"Open mine first!" Sam yelled through a mouth-full of cake.

So Ethan began to unwrap his gifts, starting with Sam's. He tore away at the paper to reveal a small box. Inside was a Poké Ball. Not a real one, of course. Real Poké Balls, more commonly referred to as capsules, cost well over a thousand dollars for just an entry-level model. Higher tier capsules, like the ones marketed as "Great Ball" and "Ultra Ball", were far more expensive. It was for this reason, Ethan knew, that most trainers had no real chance at the big leagues, not without rich parents or a sponsorship.

Ethan pulled the capsule out of the box. It was the same size as its real counterpart, but plastic and much lighter.

"Throw it!" Sam urged. Ethan tossed the toy Poké Ball on the kitchen floor. Upon impact, it burst open and a small, bat-like pokémon shot out upwards. The plastic Zubat's wings flung open and it flew around the room over everyone's heads. Everyone laughed as they ducked to avoid getting hit. When it finally ran out of power, the flying toy crash landed on the floor.

"Wow! That is so cool!" Ethan exclaimed.

"I know, right?" Sam said. "I have one too. Mine's a Pidgey, though."

Ethan thanked him and moved on to the next present. He saw Lyra smile when he grabbed her present. He unwrapped it to reveal, as he had guessed, a book. It was, by far, the biggest one he had gotten from her. _The Poképedia 3__rd__ Revision: A Comprehensive Guide to pokémon Species, _the cover read. Ethan opened it and flipped through the pages. Each pokémon had a massive, colorful page dedicated to it, listing everything from its average weight and height to tips on how to best take care of it.

Ethan was astounded. He could already imagine the sheer number of hours he would lose himself in such a book. At the same time, however, he felt a little guilty.

"Holy moly, Lyra. This must have been a lot," he said.

Lyra shrugged. "Mum gets them for cheaper... and I knew you'd like it."

Ethan could have sworn he just felt his infatuation turn into full-blown love.

After thanking Lyra profusely, Ethan worked on the rest of his presents. His friends knew him well: each gift was another addition to his pokémon collection. He couldn't wait to watch _World's Most Incredible pokémon Battles Volume 4, _a new DVD his classmate Ken bought him. He was surprised by another expensive-looking gift in the form of a sports watch. More birthday cards and money came from his grandparents in Olivine, as well as from his older brother Matthew, who was away for preliminary training in the military.

It was only after opening the last gift, a poseable Hitmonchan action figure, that Ethan realized that he didn't open a present from his mom and dad. Did he miss it? _Probably buried in the mess, _he thought, as he rummaged through the mountain of empty boxes and torn gift wrap on the table.

"Oops, I think we may have one more present here," said his father, who had seemingly snuck out of the kitchen a few minutes before. He returned carrying a fairly large box wrapped in ribbon.

Ethan's excitement and curiosity were instantly revived. His parents' gift was always the most expensive, and the box was definitely too big to be the GameCube game he had relentlessly asked for. His mind raced with possibilities as he tried to guess what the present could be.

"Alright Ethan, whenever you're ready," his dad said, placing the box carefully on the table. Ethan noticed that his father was trying, with some difficulty, to suppress a smile.

The room fell silent as everyone leaned close to the table. Ethan's mother stopped taking pictures and began to record video instead.

Ethan stood level to the large box in front of him. As he slowly pulled away at the ribbon, he noticed that the box was punctured with several holes. An idea flashed through his mind, one so implausible to him that his mind immediately dismissed it. _It couldn't be, _he thought, but it was enough to quicken his heart rate. With anticipation on a level never felt before in his life, Ethan ripped the lid off of the box.

What he saw caused him to step back so quickly that he knocked the chair over behind him.

Ethan lost all feeling in his body. He wasn't even sure what he just saw. Was it real? Was _this _real?

After a moment of silence, his friends, curious as to what startled Ethan so badly, all stepped closer and looked inside the opened box.

Sam was the first. His reaction was hardly different from Ethan's. "Oh my god," he gasped. "Oh my god, Ethan. No way."

"Wow, Ethan!" Lyra squealed. "A Cyndaquil!"

Still unable to breathe properly, Ethan stepped forward and peered into the box. The creature, the one Lyra called Cyndaquil, looked to be no more than a baby. It peered up at them with squinted eyes, sniffing away curiously with its long snout.

"Is that a pokémon?" Ethan said in a daze.

"Yes," his father replied.

"Is it a real pokémon?"

"I think so."

"Is it my pokémon?"

"Yep."

"That's a real pokémon."

"Maybe you should sit down."

* * *

A half-hour passed since the final gift was opened, and Ethan was no closer down to Earth. Like a newborn baby, everyone wanted a chance to hold Ethan's new Cyndaquil. No one at the party, except for Ethan's parents, had ever seen one before. Sam was especially awestruck, but his disbelief was nothing compared to his envy.

Eventually the party drew to a close and, one by one, the guests began to leave. Sam and Lyra were the last two to leave, though they promised to visit again tomorrow to help Ethan come up with a name for his Cyndaquil.

Ethan sat in the living room with his new pokémon, who took it upon itself to sniff everything in sight. Ethan simply stared at his new pet as it interacted with everything in the room, getting used to its new home. Every sound and movement it made was incredible to Ethan, who still could not believe a living, breathing pokémon was in his house, one that he could say was his own.

"Do you like it?" Ethan's dad asked as he came in from the kitchen.

Ethan gaped at him, bewildered. "Are you _kidding?_"

"I'm glad you do," his mother said, joining the two. "You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find him."

"And he wasn't cheap either, so ya better take good care of him," his father added.

Ethan nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I will!"

"Better think up a name for him, and quick," His mother said. "Don't forget we still have to submit his registration form."

"I know," Ethan replied. He knew very well that owning an unregistered pokémon was illegal and carried a hefty fine, as well as possible jail time, depending on how potentially dangerous the pokémon was. He also knew that, because the minimum required age to legally own a pokémon was sixteen, his Cyndaquil would have to be registered under one of his parents.

As for a name, Ethan had nothing. The idea of owning a pokémon of his own was so unrealistic to him that he never bothered to think of one. He named all of his toys, of course, though he never believed for a moment that he would get a real pokémon before the age of sixteen, let alone such an exotic one. But with Sam and Lyra's help, he was confident he would find the right name for it. It _was_ his first pokémon, after all. It had to be perfect.

* * *

The sun began to set over New Bark, submerging the town in a golden glow as the best day of Ethan's life drew to a close. Back in his room, he sat on his bed with his Cyndaquil, who was sleeping peacefully on his lap. He caressed it gently, running his fingers along the four, large red spots on its otherwise dark blue fur.

He looked around his room. Everything felt so surreal. For years he built up the collection that covered almost every inch of his room. He kept every toy, every card, and every book he had ever bought or been given since he was five. In his imagination, the toys had always been real, and all part of a team that propelled him to becoming the pokémon World Champion.

All of that seemed so silly to him now. Even meeting Lance felt so unremarkable in comparison.

Of course, he was still five long years from being a licensed pokémon trainer, but that did nothing to damper his enthusiasm. He had a Cyndaquil now. It was real, and it was his. He thought of how, on Monday, he would go to school and tell his classmates about his new pokémon. Sometimes the other kids would sneak their own pokémon into the school, but those were always the really common kinds, like Rattata or Caterpie. Yet even then, all of the kids thought that they were the coolest things ever. But wait till he told everyone that he had a _Cyndaquil. _Ethan doubted that anyone at his school would believe he really had a Cyndaquil, but Sam and Lyra and all of his other friends that came to his party would back him up and tell everybody that he wasn't lying. Then everyone would want to see it, and he'd be the most popular kid in school.

Just thinking about it made him restless. There was still a lot of time before bed, and he didn't want to spend it sitting around in his room.

He couldn't wait until Monday. He wanted to show his Cyndaquil to everyone: the kids in New Bark who didn't come to his party, and especially the kids who, despite being much older than him, didn't have their own pokémon.

He sat up so quickly that his Cyndaquil was startled awake. Clutching the small pokémon he flew down the stairs and hastily put on his running shoes.

"I'm going outside, mom!" he yelled.

His mother poked her head out of the kitchen. "Okay, but it's almost dark, so don't go too far."

"I know," Ethan replied, and he left the house.

A cool, gentle breeze blew throughout New Bark. Ethan walked about the town he knew so well, hoping to find anyone who had not yet retired for the night.

He didn't have to look far. It was warmer than average for a spring evening, and many townspeople were out with their pokémon to enjoy it. Every time someone waved at him, Ethan would run up to them and introduce his new pet. The reactions were always the same: astonishment, followed by a barrage of questions. _What kind of pokémon is that? What's its name? Is it a boy or a girl? _Girls of all ages squealed with delight at how cute his Cyndaquil was. Everyone wanted to pet it, hold it and get one of their own.

Ethan relished every second of it: the jealousy of the kids, the curiosity of the adults. It was like how Sam pined over his signed poster, only a million times better.

Before lone, Ethan's Cyndaquil started to become restless, wiggling and squirming vigorously. It grunted and squealed as it tried to jump out of Ethan's arms.

"Alright, alright, we'll go home," Ethan said. He wasn't ready to return home yet, but his Cyndaquil wasn't giving him much of a choice. New Bark was surrounded by forest. If his Cyndaquil were to get free from him, it could possibly run off into the woods or under a house. Ethan was sure it wasn't nearly fast enough to escape him, but he didn't want to take any chances dropping it either.

Ethan waved goodnight to the elderly couple he just introduced his Cyndaquil to, and started to head home. As Ethan walked on the path toward his house, something caught his attention and stopped him in his tracks. From the hilly part of town where he stood, he could see the river east of New Bark. It was quite a distance, and in the darkening daylight it was difficult to see, but Ethan thought he saw a certain figure walking by the riverside. Straining his eyes, he made out a large, white, puffy hat.

Ethan instantly changed course and headed for the river. He wasn't surprised to see Lyra there; it was her favorite place to take Fez, who loved playing in the water. He was surprised, however, to see her there so late at night. His Cyndaquil became more and more agitated, but Ethan paid no heed to it. He was too busy hoping that his pet would get along with Lyra's. If their pokémon became friends, Ethan would have an excuse to go and visit her more often.

Lyra was crouched down, drawing pictures in the dirt with a stick. Fez happily splashed around in the river, bobbing up and down while and squirting water out of his mouth.

"Hey, Lyra," Ethan called out to her.

His sudden appearance startled her. "Oh! Hey, Ethan," she said upon recognizing him. "Already taking your pokémon out for a walk, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Ethan replied with a clumsy laugh. "How come you're out so late?"

"Fezzy kept bugging me to let him outside," She said, looking away. "And mum and dad were fighting again, so…"

"Oh… that sucks." Ethan said. He didn't know what else to say, and a moment of awkward silence passed between them.

"How is your Cyndaquil doing?" Lyra said, breaking the silence.

"He's good," Ethan said, placing his pokémon gently down on the grass. "Won't ever stay still, though."

Lyra laughed softly. Ethan's Cyndaquil sniffed around at the grass, examining its new surroundings.

"Be careful he doesn't get in the water," Lyra said as the Cyndaquil crawled slowly towards the river. "He might get sick if he gets wet. At least, that's what the book says."

"Oh, okay," Ethan said, picking his Cyndaquil back up. "You really do know everything."

"Not really." Lyra giggled as she returned to tracing hearts in the dirt. "I just read it when I got back home after your birthday party."

"Oh! I totally forgot to check the book you gave me," Ethan said sheepishly. "Anything else I should know?"

Lyra opened her mouth to answer him, but stopped and stood up when she saw something behind him. Ethan turned around and saw what caught her attention.

"Aww, gross. Why don't you two get a room?"

Three boys around their age crept up on them. Ethan knew them well as they were his least favorite people on the planet, especially the one in the middle. His name was Anthony. For as long as Ethan could remember, Anthony had loved to pick on him, along with anyone else the bully deemed weaker than himself. Worst of all, Ethan always managed to get stuck in the same class with him. Anthony and his cronies also lived in New Bark, but this was Ethan's first time talking to any of them outside of school.

"Shut up," Ethan said coldly. "What do you want?"

Anthony paid him no attention, his eyes transfixed on the pokémon in Ethan's arms.

"So that's what you were going around showing everybody," he smirked. "I don't see what you're so proud of, it looks pretty stupid to me."

Anthony's friends, Chris and Tyler, snickered on either side of him. Ethan felt his cheeks go red with anger. But he said nothing, recalling what his dad told him when he first complained about Anthony. _The only thing to do with bullies is to ignore them completely, _his father told him. _Ignore them and they'll get bored and leave you alone._

"Not only that, it looks completely weak," Anthony continued, "What's the point in going around showing off such a useless pokémon?"

It wasn't Ethan who retorted, but instead Lyra: "You're just jealous that Ethan has his own pokémon and you don't!"

"I wasn't talking to you, Strawberry Shortcake," Anthony spat. "And isn't it past your bedtime?"

The anger of having his pokémon insulted was nothing compared to the anger he felt when he heard Anthony put down Lyra. He wanted to defend her, but he didn't know what to say. And with three of them and only one of him, he knew that attacking them physically would be a stupid thing to do, no matter how much he wanted to.

"And, for your information, I _do _have my own pokémon," Anthony said with a grin, as he took his backpack off and placed it on the grass in front of him. "And I got him way before your boyfriend got his stupid little porcupine thing."

Ethan and Lyra watched as Anthony slowly opened his backpack. He reached in and pulled out what looked like a long, thick, purple rope. Only when it moved did Ethan recognize it as a pokémon. It was a rather common snake pokémon known as Ekans. It was big, but Ethan had seen bigger ones in the wild. Anthony's Ekans was probably still young, Ethan guessed. Even so, he was surprised to see it, and he felt his heart rate quicken. Meanwhile, Fez continued to splash around in the river, blissfully unaware of the conflict going on only a few meters away.

"This is what a _real _pokémon looks like," Anthony said proudly as his pet snake coiled around its owner's arm.

"Wow, an Ekans," Ethan said sarcastically. "You must feel so special. I could go into the grass and find one in like, five minutes."

Ethan was satisfied to see that this remark struck a chord with the bully, whose face went from smug to angry very quickly.

"If you think your pokémon is so awesome, then why don't we battle, and see how special it really is?"

Ethan was taken aback by this proposition. He only received his first pokémon a few hours ago, and already he had received his first challenge to a battle.

"Don't be stupid. You know you're not allowed to battle outside a gym," Lyra said sternly.

"Shut up, I wasn't asking you," Anthony snarled.

Ethan knew it was strictly prohibited to battle outside a pokémon gym and without a referee. If they got caught, they could be fined several thousand, and Ethan's parents would lose their pokémon Ownership Licenses. On top of that, if their battle caused any damage to anyone's property or to the surrounding area, they could even get jail time.

But it was night, and there weren't any adults around, and how much damage could an Ekans and Cyndaquil do? Trainers fought outside of gyms all of the time. The older kids often travelled to secluded areas in packs and held their own battles, where they didn't have to pay or walk all the way to the next town just to use a gym. Ethan often looked at them with envy, wishing he could join them. But now his heart raced with both fear and excitement. This could be the start of his career as a pokémon trainer, and what better way to start it then beating the guy he hated most in front of the girl he liked?

Even now, Ethan's Cyndaquil refused to sit still in his arms. Its feistiness was what gave Ethan confidence in his pokémon. It seemed willful and alert, whereas Anthony's Ekans looked slow and stupid. His Cyndaquil was a pokémon, after all. It had a natural instinct to fight and defend itself.

"Fine," Ethan nodded, "And when I win, you apologize to Lyra and leave us alone."

"_What_? Ethan, no!" Lyra protested.

Anthony blinked. He looked more surprised than anyone that Ethan had accepted his challenge. But his surprised quickly turned to something much more sinister. "Alright," he said. "Then let's go into the woods so nobody will see us."

Without another word, Anthony and his two friends began walking towards the nearby forest.

Lyra went pale. "Ethan, you're not really going to do this, are you? Your Cyndaquil is just a baby!"

"It's okay," Ethan said confidently. "His Ekans is still really young, too."

He followed Anthony into the woods, while Lyra, after deliberating for a few seconds, picked up Fez and began to reluctantly follow Ethan.

* * *

After a few minutes of trudging through the forest, Ethan and Lyra saw Anthony and his friends waiting for them in a small clearing. By now, the last of the sunlight had disappeared, and it was difficult to see anything.

"Ethan… please," Lyra said meekly as they entered the clearing.

"If you don't want to be here, you can run home to mommy." Anthony said, annoyed.

Lyra didn't say anything. Ethan felt he couldn't contain his anger much longer. "Are we gonna do this or what?" he growled.

Anthony smirked. "Rules are simple. Since there's no referee, first person to cry uncle loses. Got it?"

"Yeah," Ethan nodded.

The two moved to the center of the clearing until they were about thee meters away from each other. Ethan got his first close look at Anthony's Ekans. It barely moved at all, and looked like it wanted nothing more than to sleep.

"Alright," Anthony said. "Three, two, one…"

They both put their pokémon down simultaneously, then took a few steps back. _This is it, _Ethan thought. _My very first pokémon battle._

For the first few seconds, it looked like the two pokémon didn't even take notice each other. That, or they simply had no interest in fighting. The Ekans simply sat in place, uninterested, while Ethan's Cyndaquil sniffed the area around him curiously.

"Come on, Viper! Bite him!" Anthony shouted.

"Fight, Cyndaquil, come on!" Ethan yelled. He heard Chris and Tyler laugh, and he felt a little stupid that he was battling with a pokémon he hadn't given a name yet.

It was only after the Cyndaquil made a sharp, sudden movement that the Ekans finally seemed to take notice of it. The snake lowered its body completely to the ground and began to slowly slither towards its enemy. Ethan began to worry that his pokémon wasn't even aware of the approaching predator, but as the Ekans inched closer, his Cyndaquil quickly assumed a defensive stance, arching its back and turning its head to face the snake.

The Ekans stopped, and the two pokémon stood completely still, staring each other down. An uneasy silence passed between them and their trainers.

"What are you waiting for, Viper?" Anthony growled, breaking the silence. "Kill him!"

His shouting seemed to startle the Ekans, and with what seemed like incredible speed for a snake, it closed the distance between the two pokémon and brought down two sharp fangs down on its opponent. But the Cyndaquil was quick as well. It dodged the Ekans' bite, jumped off to the side… and began to run away.

Ethan's mind went numb as his ears were filled with the sound of the bullies' laughter. He watched incredulously as his pokémon made a break for the woods, the Ekans hot on its tail.

It was barely a minute into the match and Ethan was already regretting his decision to accept Anthony's challenge. But he couldn't back down to Anthony, especially not when Lyra was watching.

"_What are you doing, Cyndaquil?!" _he found himself screaming. _"Don't run away!"_

Seconds later the Ekans came to a sudden stop. It sounded like it was flailing, but it was too dark to tell what had happened, and Ethan couldn't see his Cyndaquil. He ran up to get a closer look, and everyone else followed.

When he got closer, Ethan felt his stomach turn. His Cyndaquil had not gotten away. The Ekans had it constricted in a bind, wrapping around it several times. The snake pokémon looked to have a very tight grip on its prey, and the Cyndaquil shrieked in pain and distress. Anthony and his friends cheered loudly as the Cyndaquil tried in vain to get away.

"_Stop this!" _he heard Lyra cry. "Ethan, you have to surrender!"

Ethan froze up. He could do nothing but watch his Cyndaquil squirm and squeal. It was completely locked out of any chance at escape or reprisal. The Ekans kept its head at a distance, but look poised to strike at any second, hissing loudly.

Lyra was right. He had lost. Before the match had even started, he had lost.

"Okay, I give up!" He cried.

Neither Anthony nor his friends seemed to hear him, being too absorbed in the pokémon battle, drowning out his cries with their own cheers.

Ethan ran up to Anthony and shoved him. "_I said I give up!" _he yelled, his voice cracking.

Anthony looked like he was about to hit back, but a loud, shrill cry caught both of their attention. Ethan looked back to the pokémon battle and what he saw horrified him.

The Ekans had bitten down on the Cyndaquil, its fangs sinking deeply into its prey. Ethan could barely see his pokémon; the Ekans now had much of the Cyndaquil in its mouth, the rest wrapped tightly with its body.

Ethan thought he was going to be sick. Was he about to watch his Cyndaquil get swallowed whole by a snake?

"_Stop!" _he screamed.

He dropped to his knees and threw himself at the quarreling pokémon. But before he could even reach them, something happened so suddenly it caused him to jump backwards and land on his behind.

Like a jet engine, flames erupted from the Cyndaquil's back, and the Ekans' head disappeared behind a vortex of fire. Almost instantly the snake released the Cyndaquil, hissing loudly in pain as it suffered a burn to the inside of its mouth. It quickly slithered away toward its dumbstruck owner who, like his friends, was trying to figure out what had just happened.

But Ethan wasted no time. The flames dissipated as quickly as they had appeared, and he picked up the Cyndaquil from the ground and ran. He didn't even wait for Lyra as he sprinted home, faster than ever before.

The forest was dark, and Ethan made no effort to dodge the branches that whipped at his face, cutting it in several places. He was nearly out of the woods when he suddenly tripped over a root, sending the Cyndaquil flying out of his arms and causing him to land hard on the ground. He heard his pokémon emit a faint yelp as it hit the ground ahead of him.

Pain seared in his chest and chin where he absorbed most of the fall. The hit to his jaw dazed him, and he wobbled as he got back to his feet as quickly as he could. Ethan did his best to ignore the pain, but found himself sobbing as he tried, desperately, to find his pokémon. Seeing in the dark would have been difficult enough without his head spinning from the impact. He dropped down to his knees, outstretched arms grasping at everything in front of him. Ethan then heard a faint wheezing sound. He stifled his own crying as to try to hear where the sound came from, but the breathing sound began to grow weaker. Finally, as his hands met the familiar feeling of his Cyndaquil's fur, he grabbed hold of his pokémon and left the woods. Though he was certain he heard Lyra calling his name back within the forest, he did not stop running until he saw the sight of his own house.

_And he wasn't cheap either, so ya better take good care of him._

Ethan suddenly lost the ability to control his own two legs.

He couldn't go home. How could he? How could he go back to his parents and show them this? How could he go back to his parents, who believed he was actually responsible enough to have his own pokémon, and show them how completely and utterly wrong they were? He stood there, crying, looking around manically, as if someone or something around could help him. But he knew that nothing could help him now.

_You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find him._

They had given him something special, something they believed he was ready for, and it wasn't even a day before he messed it all up. What would they say? What would they do?

He hated himself. The only place he wanted to go was a deep, dark hole that he would never have to emerge from.

His Cyndaquil made a weak, guttural, hacking sound, and Ethan snapped back to reality. For the first time since he left the house, he really looked at his pokémon. It could no longer move its head or its legs. He looked at it with disbelief, like he did when he first opened that box. But it was not the same. Now, he could not believe that his very first pokémon, the one he received not five hours ago, was dying in his hands. He could not believe the blood that matted his hands and his jacket was the blood of the pokémon that he, its master, was supposed to protect. He could not believe that, only minutes ago, the Cyndaquil he held in his arms had been a perfectly healthy one, and that had all changed because he was stupid and arrogant enough to believe that both he and his pokémon were anywhere close to being ready to battle.

Grasping what little sense remained in him, Ethan clutched his Cyndaquil tightly and ran towards home. When he finally got there, he felt his body freeze up again. Another look at his pokémon made him swallow his fear and his shame, and he threw the front door open.

His mother immediately came in from the living room.

"Ethan! Where have you been?" She asked. Her hands flung to her mouth when she saw his dirtied, bloodied state. "Ethan, oh my _god!_"

Ethan couldn't say anything. He simply held the bleeding Cyndaquil out in front of him and broke down in sobs.

His father came into the room as well, looking even more shocked than this wife.

"Ethan, what happened?!" he asked, taking the wounded pokémon from Ethan. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the dark red blood the Cyndaquil was drenched in.

"_I… I…" _Ethan could not even begin to find the words to answer him. He could only bury his face with his blood-covered hands and wail. When his father realized he wasn't going to get a coherent response from Ethan anytime soon, he gave his wife a worried look, then ran out the door with the Cyndaquil.

Ethan could hear the car starting. The nearest pokémon center was in Cherrygrove. Like his father, Ethan knew that if there was any chance of saving his pokémon, there wasn't any time to waste.

He also knew that he had probably just seen his very first pokémon for the very last time.

He sat on the couch with his mother, who held him closely, caressing his hair. She didn't say much, or ask him anything. She only told him that everything would be okay.

He almost wished that she would stop. Nothing was okay. He wanted her to scream at him, hit him even. Nothing was worse than sitting there, in silence, with his thoughts. Thinking about how he betrayed his parents. Thinking about how pathetic Lyra had to think he was now. Thinking about how she and Sam were supposed to come over tomorrow and help him pick a name for his Cyndaquil. The same Cyndaquil that could, at any given second, breathe its last breath, if it already hadn't. It was almost worse knowing that, even if his Cyndaquil survived, he would never see it again because of what he did today. Because of him his parents would be in trouble with the law and lose their pokémon Ownership Licenses. They would be fined not only because _he_ was illegally battling, but also because the authorities would know now that they had an unregistered pokémon. Were his parents going to go to jail because of him?

The thoughts were suffocating. All he wanted now, more than anything, was for what had started as the best day in his life to come to an end.

There was only one thing he wanted more. But it was something he knew he couldn't have.

Still, he would have given anything, absolutely _anything_, for a chance to start his eleventh birthday over again.


	2. When It Rains

_**SESSION 01 / When It Rains**_

* * *

An alarm rang.

The loud beeping sound filled the dark room, a room that could only belong to a slob. Crumpled clothing covered nearly every inch of the floor. Empty cans and bottles were scattered about every surface. Dirty plates and utensils shared space with a computer on a small, black desk. Nearby a large television sat amidst a mess of cables, movies and video game equipment.

The piercing beep continued to emanate from the alarm. In the bed next to it, a figure shrouded in a plain white blanket awoke with a groan. An outstretched arm emerged from under the covers and reached for the alarm, knocking over two empty beer cans that fell to the ground with a clatter.

"_Ugh,_ shit."

The figure sat up and pulled the blanket from himself. The familiar, nauseous feeling and throbbing headache of a hangover followed. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the now-silent clock which read '2:36 PM', followed by the date:

**SUN 18/05/14**

Ethan sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hands through his long, messy black hair. He gave his headache a moment to settle before reaching for his socks and pants. Getting out of bed, he picked up and placed the fallen beer cans back on the nightstand. He stood up and, on wobbly legs, made his way to the single window in the room to pull open the curtains. Looking out at the dark, dreary clouds that hung over the town of Twinleaf, he was thankful that he had nowhere to be today.

Ethan's eyes scanned the village, a place he could easily describe as remarkably green, yet unremarkable. Nearly all of the houses had the same green roof that seamlessly blended with the bordering forest and rolling hills. The only contrast came in the brown color of the dirt roads and the few outlying farms. It was a quiet village, especially on a day like today. A low, distant rumble of thunder confirmed Ethan's expectation of rain.

Ethan could see the appeal of a town like Twinleaf. For a person who loved nature but still wanted to be a part of civilization, he couldn't think of a better place. But it was simply too far from everything for his liking. Unfortunately for Ethan, Twinleaf was the type of place his mother adored and, as a result, was the type of place he had lived his whole life. His mother was so set on living in Twinleaf that not even the two-hour commute to her new work deterred her from buying a house there when Ethan's family moved to Sinnoh seven years ago.

Thought he often complained, Ethan was long used to being in the rural communities he had lived in his entire life. _You'd spend just one week in the city, _his mother would always say, _and you'd be dying to come back to a place like Twinleaf. _Not a chance, Ethan thought. She must have forgotten what it was like to be young.

Ethan watched as an old, battered pick-up truck drove down the dirt path leading outside Twinleaf. He turned away from the window and retrieved his favorite black hoodie from the floor. Putting it on, he left his room and headed downstairs. As he headed for the kitchen, he passed by the living room where his mother sat on the couch, typing away at her laptop computer.

"Hey hey," Ethan said with a tired wave.

"Good _morning,_" his mother replied sarcastically.

"Where's dad?" Ethan asked as he continued making his way to the kitchen.

"He went to go help Rich with his deck. If you weren't sleeping all day, you could have gone with him," she shouted from the living room.

Ethan grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "I can still go, Rich's house is like five minutes away."

"Don't bother. It looks like it's going to rain any minute now. Besides, dinner's soon."

Ethan was relieved. He had a full work week starting tomorrow and wanted to spend the day relaxing.

Ethan had recently landed a job at the Poké Mart in Sandgem, the neighbouring town. His job wasn't a difficult one, though Ethan didn't care much for the one-hour bike ride he had to make twice a day getting to work and back. He had been saving his paycheques in an effort to buy his own car. He eagerly anticipated the day he would no longer have to take the murderous bike ride home after standing at work for eight hours. But at least it helped keep him in shape, he thought.

"Did you see on the table?" Ethan heard his mother call from the living room. "There's a letter there for you from your brother."

Ethan finished the rest of the water bottle in one go, as he often did when he had a hangover. He threw the empty bottle in the recycling bin and walked up to the kitchen table, wondering why Matthew would send him letter mail rather than a simple e-mail or text. He tore open the envelope, pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and started to read:

_Sup bro._

_First of all, happy birthday. At least it should be by the time this gets to you._

_If you haven't already seen them there's two tickets to the Eterna Summer Festival in the envelope. Janet and I were supposed to go but I got shafted at work. I thought about scalping them but I figured they'd be a good birthday present instead. Mom or dad can use the other ticket if they want to go, unless you got a friend or someone to go with you._

_I know you're probably not gonna want to go but trust me you really should. It's pretty damn fun and this thing only happens once a year. Maybe you can even find yourself a girlfriend there._

_Matt_

Ethan groaned at the last line and tossed the letter back on the table. He checked the rest of the envelope and, surely enough, two red and gold tickets were inside.

"Some money would have been nice," Ethan scowled.

His brother knew him well. Like Matt had correctly guessed in his letter, Ethan had no interest in going to any festival, especially one as far away as Eterna. So why exactly did his brother think that festival tickets would have been a suitable gift? Ethan looked over the tickets briefly before placing them back on the kitchen table.

"What's that?" Ethan's mother asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Eh, nothing really. Just tickets to some festival Matt gave me for whatever reason," Ethan said.

His mom picked up the tickets and examined them. "Wow, the Eterna Summer Festival. I've wanted to go ever since we came to Sinnoh."

"Do you want them?" Ethan asked.

"What, you're not gonna use them?"

"Of course not. Eterna is like, three hours away."

"It won't even be half that if you take the train. And I can't go, I have work this weekend."

"I'd still have to bike to the train station, so… two hours, at least."

"Ethan, your brother bought you tickets and you're just going to let them go to waste? Your dad can drive you to the train station."

"Actually, Matt got them for him and his girlfriend. He only gave 'em to me 'cause he can't go now."

Ethan's mother frowned. "Come on, Ethan. You need to get out every once in a while."

"You're kidding, right?" Ethan asked. "I'm out of the house almost ten hours every day."

"_To go to work_. I meant you have to go out and socialize, and not stay in your room, drinking all day."

"If you wanted me to socialize, maybe moving us to the ass-end of nowhere wasn't the best idea, mom."

Ethan's mother gave a frustrated sigh. This was how nearly all of their arguments ended, and where she usually gave up._ "At least_ think about it, okay? It's not going to kill you."

"Alright, alright. I will," Ethan said. Not that he would, of course, but the petty bickering had worsened his headache and he just wanted it to end. It wasn't so much that he was against going to a festival, but rather going to one alone. What could he possibly do at such an event all by himself?

Ethan retreated to his room, powered on his computer, and collapsed lazily on his bed. As he quietly waited for his computer to load, he heard the faint pitter-patterof rain against his window. He stood up and looked outside. The skies were much darker than they were only ten minutes ago, and darker clouds loomed on the horizon.

The sound of laughter diverted his attention down to two small children in raincoats. Beside them was a round, blue pokémon with a black swirl on its white belly. The Poliwhirl playfully jumped up and down in the rain with the two kids. Ethan smiled, remembering a time when he, too, could find fun in such simple things.

Seven years he had lived in this town. Seven years that felt more like three, at most. Twinleaf was a black-hole of time, where life was so uneventful that you simply could not remember what you did the week before. What Ethan did remember, however, was leaving Johto and moving here. He remembered when, eight years ago, his mother received an offer to take on the job of hospital administrator. The catch, however, was that the hospital was Jubilife General Hospital, far away in the Sinnoh region.

To Ethan's mother, the offer was a no-brainer. A promotion like that was simply too good to pass up. But Ethan's parents fought intensely when his mother first proposed the move to Sinnoh. Moving would mean that his father, a Johto native, would have to find new work. His mother argued that, with the new job, she would be making more money than they both did living in Johto. His father would say that Johto was simply a much better place to live, and that he'd rather be poor in Johto than rich in Sinnoh.

Every night they fought. Ethan watched his parents' relationship slowly deteriorate until they finally decided to separate. A year later, Ethan and his mother moved to Sinnoh, while his father stayed behind in Johto. For an entire year Ethan flew back and forth, going to a new school in Sandgem, and visiting his father in New Bark in the summer and other holidays.

It took a year for his parents to realize they could not live without each other. His father conceded and sold his childhood home, moving to Sinnoh to be with his wife. Seven years ago Ethan spent one last summer in New Bark, the place he lived for fourteen years of his life.

An angry rumble of thunder returned Ethan to the present. He sat down at his computer and began his daily ritual. Opening the internet, he visited FaceSpace, a popular social networking website that everybody on the planet seemed to use. Ethan cared little for it. He felt his mind numb quickly as he scrolled down the news pieces and past pictures of Glameow and Purrloin that people posted endlessly. He ignored the reports of weekend fun made by people he hadn't spoken to in ages.

Below a picture of his aunt's pet Skitty, a name caught Ethan's eye. He was surprised; it was a long time since he last saw that name or the one who belonged to it: his childhood friend, Lyra.

Ethan couldn't remember when he last saw something from Lyra, who seemed to care less for FaceSpace then even he did. Curious, he read her new post:

_Just found out I'm going to be on the pokémon coordination team performing in Eterna this saturday! One of the coordinators can't make it and they asked ME to take her place! So excited! Anyone going to ESF?_

Ethan leaned back in the chair as his mind attempted to process the information he read. Lyra, his friend from so many years ago, was going to be in Sinnoh, at an event that he, only ten minutes ago, received tickets to. The coincidence was astounding.

How long had it been since he last saw her? Ethan recalled his last summer in New Bark, seven years ago. He thought of Sam, who was his best friend back when Ethan still lived in Johto. He remembered how, when school was out, they would meet when the sun had barely risen and play together until it faded away. He remembered the countless sleepovers they had on those sweltering summer nights. He remembered breaking the news to Sam that his parents were splitting up, and that he'd be moving away to Sinnoh with his mom. _No problem, _Sam had said. _You're gonna come back in the summer, right?_

In Sinnoh, Ethan had spent every wretched moment as the new kid at Sandgem Secondary School waiting for summer break to arrive, when he could visit his father in Johto and reunite with Sam and Lyra. After a painfully long school year, Ethan flew back to Johto for the first time since he had left. After not seeing his friends for ten months, the time spent with them was nothing short of blissful, even with the crushing realization that it was only temporary. Afterwards, when the days became shorter and the wind grew colder, they fought the heartache with the promise that next summer, and every summer, they would meet again.

Ethan didn't know at the time that it would be the last time he ever saw New Bark. The last time he ever saw Sam or Lyra.

It was not long—after his return to Sinnoh that September—when Ethan's mother and father decided that they couldn't stand being without each other any longer, and that they couldn't deal with the guilt of keeping Ethan from the other parent for months at a time. Ethan was truly glad his parents had gotten back together. Yet he remembered how he couldn't hold in his tears when he called Sam to let him know that he wouldn't be coming back to New Bark anymore. Ethan couldn't bring himself to make the same phone call to Lyra. _You tell her, _he instructed Sam. He couldn't let Lyra hear him, a teenage boy, cry over the phone.

The one thing that had pulled him through the school year was gone.

Ethan stayed in touch with Sam, of course. Almost every night they spoke on the phone, talking about everything from girls to video games. When their parents started complaining about the long-distance charges, Ethan and Sam spoke less. The time between the phone calls grew longer each time, and they eventually stopped altogether.

Lyra, on other hand, Ethan had not spoken to since that one summer seven years ago.

Now, sitting at his computer and staring at pictures of his childhood friends, Ethan wondered how he, or more so his parents, let that happen. Lyra's family and his own were friends for almost two decades. Ethan wondered how people could fall out of contact with someone that they've been friends with for nearly twenty years. His mother was so willing to throw away everything, even her own husband, for the sake of her job. Ethan resented her for that. Was money more important than relationships that were built over entire lifetimes?

Ethan also had Sam as a friend on FaceSpace, but the years of silence had done their damage. Ethan only spoke to Sam and Lyra once, more than two years ago, back when he first reconnected to them through the website. The two people who were once his closest friends were now nothing more than strangers.

Ethan sat silently in thought after reading Lyra's post, still in disbelief that Lyra would be attending an event that he, only minutes go, vehemently refused to go to.

Had the same opportunity presented itself five years ago, it would have been a clear-cut choice for Ethan. He would have never passed on a chance to see Lyra or any of his old friends.

But how long was too long? Would she even recognize him? How would he, never having had the chance to say good-bye, approach her? Even if he did go, what would be the odds that he'd get a chance to talk to her? There would probably be tens of thousands of people at the festival. _It's pointless to go, _Ethan reaffirmed. _You'd see her on a stage from a half-mile away and that'd be it._

_Of course, that's not the real reason you don't want to go, _Ethan heard a voice in the back of his head say.

Though he hated to admit it, Ethan knew what his mother said was true. Before he knew it, he had become something of an introvert. He stayed in his room all day. He left e-mail unanswered. When his old friends from high school asked to hang out, he made excuses for why he wasn't available. Whenever he did meet with friends or relatives, they always asked the same questions: _Did you go to school? Are you going to go to school? Are you still living at home? _He'd rather avoid conversation altogether than deal with the same inane questions over and over again.

Ethan hated being compared to his brother more than anything. Matthew joined the military right out of high school and was already a sergeant in the air force at the age of twenty-nine. Ethan's parents expected him to be more like his older brother. They expected him to know what he wanted to do with his life and at times he couldn't blame them. After all, hadn't most people known what they wanted out of life by the age of twenty-two? Ethan spent entire nights looking the websites of different colleges and the programs they offered, but he felt as lost as ever.

As he often did when the realities of life converged on him, Ethan decided it was time to play video games. As he was about to close FaceSpace, Ethan saw a few comments on Lyra's post. The first comment was left by a blonde girl Ethan didn't recognize. Her name was Tiffany and she looked about Lyra's age.

_WOW Lyra, lucky break! that's so exciting!_

Below was another comment left by Lyra's cousin Elle, who Ethan remembered meeting many years ago.

_That is so cool! Sucks that Eterna is so far away though, I haven't seen you perform yet!_

The third and last comment, made one hour earlier, was by someone named Khoury.

_Congrats babe :) I'm so happy for you._

It was the last comment in particular that grabbed Ethan's attention. He clicked on Khoury's name and looked at the profile picture. Lyra was in the photo, with her arms around Khoury, their cheeks pressed against each other's as they both grinned widely at the camera. Khoury had big ears, curly black hair and wore thick, round spectacles. Ethan was certain he had never seen anyone so dorky-looking in his life. _Really, Lyra? You could do so much better, _he thought. _And what the hell kind of name is 'Khoury' anyway?_

Lyra herself changed drastically. Gone were the rotund cheeks and small nose that Ethan remembered. Her face had matured in to one of soft, subtle beauty, with thin lips, a narrow chin, and round, auburn-colored eyes. She no longer wore the low-tied pigtails that Ethan never saw her without.

After looking though a few more of Lyra's photos, Ethan closed the website and reached for the headphones sitting on his desk. He started up his favorite RPG, put on the headphones, and drowned out the outside word.

If there was even the slightest possibility that Ethan might have gone to the festival, it was gone now. It wasn't that he was still in love with Lyra; his infatuation with her diminished even before he left New Bark. The older they became, the more Ethan realized he wasn't able to see her as anything other than a friend. Rather, it was the fact that the little girl he knew from his hometown was barely recognizable. The pictures of her smiling with friends, or locked in a tight embrace with her boyfriend, were reminders to Ethan that friends could be replaced, and that he no longer had a place in her life.

Lyra and Sam were nothing more than a part of his past.

* * *

"Sorry, Ethan. But I already got you booked for forty hours this week. And I ain't paying you overtime."

Ethan groaned. He went into work on that damp Monday morning with one hope: that he would have to do the same on Saturday, the day of the festival. When his mother once again pestered him about it at the dinner table last night, this time with the help her husband, Ethan used his signature, last-ditch defense, and said he would probably have to work on the day of the event. Now, standing in the manager's office in front of Vince, his boss, that hope had just been squashed.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone who wants to work as much as you, Ethan," Vince said. "It's your birthday on Wednesday, isn't it? I'd thought you'd be asking for time off instead."

Ethan slouched. "Just saving up for a car, that's all."

Vince leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "Tell you what Ethan, if anyone calls in sick, you'll be my go-to guy. Sound good?"

"Sounds good, sir," Ethan nodded.

"Anyways, new stock just came in, so ya better get out there."

Ethan left his manager's office disappointed. He fastened his blue apron and made his way to a stack of cardboard boxes. _Maybe I'll just bike up to Sandgem on Saturday, _Ethan thought as he loaded the boxes onto a trolley. _I can just… relax on the beach for eight hours, or something. _

Ethan left the employees-only area with his cart loaded. The Sandgem Poké Mart was smaller than most but was packed to the ceiling with merchandise. Ethan cut open the first cardboard box and examined the contents.

"Protein. Daily supplements to keep your pokémon strong and healthy," Ethan dully read the label out loud to himself. "Aisle four."

He placed the jar of vitamins back on the trolley and began his days' work.

Ethan didn't mind his new job. He spent most of the day by himself, stocking shelves and making price labels. Customers occasionally bugged him, but with such a small store it wasn't long before he memorized where to find everything. The town of Sandgem lived up to its name, as Ethan often found himself sweeping up the sand that customers tracked into the store.

Sandgem was known first and foremost for its beach. Thought normally a small, quiet town, it changed in the summer when tourists from all around came in and flocked to the beach. After work on warmer days, Ethan would go there for a few minutes before the bike ride home, taking in the cool sea breeze.

The Poké Mart, as usual at nine in the morning, was dead quiet. It would be at least another hour before the store would see any real business. As Ethan methodically placed bottles of protein, iron and calcium on the shelf, his mind trailed off, as it always did when the store was empty.

Ethan wasn't sure how much time had passed when a voice snapped him back to reality.

"Yo, Mike!" He heard a familiar voice yell. "You doing anything tonight?"

"Nah. Why?"

Ethan looked over and saw two of his co-workers, Mike and Justin, chatting over by the cash register at the front of the store.

"You wanna come over tonight and watch the tournament?" Justin asked. He was tall with a thin but muscular build, and had shaggy blonde hair. Around the store Justin was known as an easy-going, likeable guy who had the tendency to slack off.

"That starts today?" Mike asked, leaning lazily against the counter. Mike, on the other hand, was a bit on the chubbier side and had short, black hair. Ethan didn't speak to him very much, as they often worked opposite shifts.

"Yeah. Well, the qualifiers do." Justin replied.

Mike scoffed. "You watch those? Nah man. Ask me again when the real thing starts."

"Hell yeah I do," Justin said. "I'm a _real_ fan, unlike _you_. You only ever watch whenever Cynthia is on."

"Yeah, no shit. She's only like, the fucking hottest thing ever."

"Can't argue with that." Justin said. He turned towards the back of the store. "Yo, Ethan!"

Ethan poked his head out from behind the trolley. "What's up?"

"Wanna come over and watch the pokémon tournament qualifiers after work?" Justin yelled across the store.

"Nah. You know I don't watch that stuff," Ethan responded. "Thanks, though."

Justin sighed. "You guys suck."

Ethan returned to his work, surprised he had forgotten that today was the start of the Pokémon World Tournament qualifiers. But he didn't have to watch the tournament to know who Cynthia was. _Everyone _knew about Cynthia.

Last year, the world of pokémon battling was turned upside down when a newcomer, Cynthia, defeated Lance, the reigning Pokémon Champion, in the grand finale. It was the first time anyone had beat Lance in over a decade, and the first time a woman had ever become the Pokémon World Champion. Cynthia didn't just defeat Lance; she retired him. Two days after the match, Lance announced his departure from the sport, glad that someone had finally overtaken him. The so-called king of pokémon battling had been dethroned.

The pokémon world erupted. Cynthia was skilled, stylish, and sexy. She was on every news channel, magazine cover, and talk show. It was even more intense where Ethan lived because it was the same region where Cynthia came from. People called her "Sinnoh's Shining Star" and she was often credited with the region on the map.

Cynthia brought interest in pokémon battling to an all-time high, and with the tournament set to start soon, home region support was in full swing. Ethan could not have been more annoyed. He heard her voice frequently over the radio, which they played in the store all day. Ethan had only worked at the Poké Mart for about a month and already saw Cynthia's face more times than he could count. If he wasn't restocking the news rack with yet another magazine that featured her on the cover, he was putting up posters of her and her equally-famous pokémon, usually advertising one of the multitude of sponsors that she acquired after Lance retired.

Ethan finished refilling the vitamins and supplements shelf. As he was cutting open the next box of product, he heard Justin's voice from the front of the store again.

"Since you're so obsessed with Cynthia, I'm guessing you're going to the festival in Eterna this weekend?"

"No, why?" Mike replied.

"Eterna is her hometown, dumbass. She's gonna be there this Satuday," said Justin.

"What? No way."

Justin laughed. "Typical bandwagoner. Anyway you're outta luck, 'cause tickets sold out months ago. First time they ever did, too. When they said Cynthia was gonna be there, people lost their shit. I hear there's like, three times as many people going as last year."

Overhearing their conversation, an idea suddenly came to Ethan.

"Uhh, I have an extra ticket if you want to go," Ethan said as he approached the front counter.

They both looked at him strangely. It was clearly the first time either of them have ever seen Ethan initiate conversation.

"Shit, Ethan, you didn't tell me you were going to the festival!" Justin exclaimed.

"What? N-no, someone just gave me the tickets," Ethan stammered. "I'm not going, though."

Justin frowned. "Someone gave you tickets for free and you're not going?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's way too far, and I don't have any way of going," Ethan replied awkwardly.

"I'm driving up there this Saturday, dude!" Justin said excitedly. "You can come with me."

Ethan's mind desperately scrambled for an excuse. "Sorry, I can't. I'm… I'm trying to buy a car before winter, so I'm just trying to sell the tickets. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Dude, if you wanna scalp the tickets for anything decent, the only place you're gonna be able to do it is at the festival itself," Justin told him.

"He's got a point," Mike said, "I already got like, phone bills overdue and shit. I can't afford it."

Ethan hung his head in disappointment.

"How many tickets do you got?" Justin asked.

"Two."

"Okay, so… why don't you come with me and sell one of your tickets outside the festival, and use the other one to get in? It's like getting paid to have fun."

"Well…"

"Trust me bro, it's a golden opportunity. People are tripping over each other to see Cynthia. Those tickets are worth more now than they ever were, or ever will be again, probably. I bet you could sell it for a hundred, easy."

Ethan thought for a moment. Having saved nearly every penny he made in the past month, the idea of making a hundred dollars so easily was enticing, and his apprehension of going to the festival alone was no longer a valid excuse if he would be going with Justin, who he liked well enough.

"Yeah… I guess," Ethan mumbled.

"Come on dude, you're gonna have a good time, I'm telling you," Justin insisted.

Besides, Ethan thought, the tickets _were _a gift, second-hand or not. If he went with Justin to Eterna, he could make money _and_ he wouldn't feel like a jackass for letting his brother's present go to waste. Ethan didn't want to admit it, but it really _was _a golden opportunity.

"Alright, what the hell, I'll go," Ethan said. "If I can make a hundred dollars as easy as you say, it'd be pretty stupid not to."

"Nice!" Justin said, patting Ethan on the back. "Trust me bro, you're not gonna regret it. It's great. I went last year, and there was this-"

"You _may_ be exceptionally skilled at standing around and talking, but that's not what I pay you for," Vince said, appearing suddenly. "Come on guys, back to work."

The three immediately split up. Ethan returned to work in disbelief that he agreed to go to the festival. At least his mother wouldn't bother him about it anymore, he thought. And best of all, he would be one step closer to buying his first car.

Ethan, however, was not looking forward to the crowds. Given what Justin said about the tickets being sold-out and Cynthia's scheduled appearance, Ethan knew that the festival was bound to be packed with people. Though he hated crowds, Ethan knew that they were the only reason he'd be able to sell his spare ticket for so much money.

Ethan cut open another box and vacantly examined the pokémon medicine inside. His mind was elsewhere. He thought of Lyra and how he would be seeing her for the first time in seven years. He remembered how, when they were younger, she would always talk about her dream of becoming a renowned pokémon coordinator. Now, performing at the same event where the world-famous Cynthia was set to appear, that dream was becoming a reality, and Ethan would be there to see it.

Ethan somehow felt nervous. He shook away the unwarranted feeling, reminding himself that he wouldn't be talking to Lyra, only seeing her perform on a stage. He would just be another face in a sea of people.

_You're going to see her again, _Ethan told himself. _But she won't see you._

* * *

**A/N: Hi!**

**First of all, if you've read this far in, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read my story and giving it a chance. I hope you like what you've read so far. Writing a Pokémon fanfic has been one of those things that, as a kid, I've always wanted to do, and I hope you'll tag along for the ride.**

**My aim is to release a new chapter once a week, and while I can't promise that will always be the case, one thing I will promise is that I will finish this story. I know how crummy it is to get far into a fic only to never hear from the author again, and I promise you that won't be the case with me.**

**I will include a small Author's Note section at the end of every chapter. This will usually be to detail differences between my fanfic and Pokémon canon, but I'd also be glad to answer any questions anyone may have regarding the story.**

**So once again, thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time (hopefully!).**

**-OneFourOne**


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